King of Fighters XIII coming to consoles this October

If you weren't one of the dozen or so people who could afford a NEOGEO back in the mid 90s, then you've probably only heard of King of Fighters as some kind of weird urban legend. The series has been going strong in arcades since the NEOGEO days and was once SNK's answer to Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat. Atlus, ever the refuge of core/retro franchises, is bringing King of Fighters XIII to the PS3 and 360, and now we have a launch window: this October.

KOF XIII brings back all the series' trademarks, including insane combos, brain-melting finishers and absolutely gorgeous sprite art and animation. Check out this trailer for a small burning taste.

THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII CONSOLE VERSION, SET FOR OCTOBER LAUNCH IN NORTH AMERICA, TO INCLUDE NEW CONSOLE-EXCLUSIVE FIGHTERS, STAGES, AND GAME MODES; ATLUS RELEASES NEW GAMEPLAY TRAILER

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA -- JULY 11, 2011 -- ATLUS today shared a host of details about the upcoming console release of THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII, the latest entry in the legendary fighting franchise, for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system (PS3™) and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Just as was announced recently in Japan, it was today confirmed that KOF XIII will release in North America this October, giving fighting fans the promise of a holiday season filled with their favorite KOF combatants. ATLUS accompanied the release of information with a new gameplay trailer that offers fans a thrilling montage of fast-paced KOF action, appearances by some of the new characters, and a preview of the explosive new NEO MAX supers.

Reaffirming their and SNK PLAYMORE's commitment to completely revamping the online experience to deliver smooth and stable play and to address fan feedback from the previous entry in the series, ATLUS also today gave fans something to look forward to with confirmation that the North American version will mirror the upcoming Japanese release with its promise of new console-exclusive content. Billy Kane, a favorite from the Fatal Fury series, is one of the new characters only found in the home console version of XIII. He commands the KOF ring with his segmented staff, deftly keeping his opponents at bay.

In addition to new characters, KOF XIII also offers many more stages and game modes not found in the original arcade release. More details regarding all of the new content only available in the upcoming release of THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII will be released at a later date.

THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII is scheduled to release in October for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems. For more info, visit http://www.atlus.com/kofxiii.